Put Petrol in a Diesel Skoda Octavia by Mistake?
Anybody who has put petrol in a diesel Skoda Octavia without running the motor should keep it switched off, and not run it even to roll it off the pump. With the motor kept off, that petrol stays where it is inside the tank, and in most cases a drain is all your Octavia requires.
There is no reason to shift your Skoda Octavia off the forecourt, or from any other spot where it stopped, since the drain is carried out by Petrol in Diesel where your car is. Phone us before anything else then let us talk you through it, rather than attempting anything on your own.
The first moves after petrol in a diesel Octavia
- With petrol in your tank, a diesel Octavia will usually still fire up and run, and seem perfectly ordinary for several miles. That is how drivers often drive off without noticing a problem, and the reason your motor should be left off.
- Fuel can be drawn to the injectors even before the engine has fired, since on a lot of diesel motors your ignition alone starts priming the fuel pump. Keep your ignition off as well.
- Diluting the petrol by topping up with diesel doesn't help. It only adds to the contaminated fuel to be drained from a tank that takes up to 63 litres in the Octavia, and super unleaded is petrol here as well.
- Forecourt staff will normally help roll your car out of the way in neutral when it is in the way of a pump.
- Ring 0333 366 0103 and let us know which Octavia you drive and where it is, about how much petrol was put in, and whether your engine has been started. If the precise version is shown on the badge, for example the Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI 4x4, give us that as well.
What starting the motor does with wrong fuel in your Skoda Octavia
Turning on the engine is what draws the wrong fuel in your Skoda Octavia out of the tank, and only then does it start to affect the engine. A diesel engine relies on its fuel to lubricate the high-pressure pump and the fuel injectors as it passes through them. Driving for any distance on that mix is what can cause damage, since petrol dilutes the diesel and strips that lubrication away.
Where you have already driven the Octavia, stop where it is safe and switch off. We can still sort it out, by draining the tank and rinsing the lines and the fuel filter till all of the contaminated fuel is out. Permanent damage is very unusual if it's caught soon and given a proper clean.
Each variant of the Octavia is the same in this, the Octavia Combi TDI SLX included.
The Skoda Octavia fuel tank capacity, version by version
If you filled up while your tank was close to empty, the same couple of litres make up more of the fuel in it, and the risk hinges on that share, which means the size of the tank counts.
Tank capacities for the Skoda Octavia run from 50 to 63 litres according to which version it is.
The smallest tank in our data is on the Octavia 1.6 TDI, and the largest is on the Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI 4x4 SLX.
For the Octavia RS 2.0 TDI-PD, the figure is 55 litres.
| Version | Fuel tank |
|---|---|
| Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI | 50 litres |
| Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI-CR DPF | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.6 TDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.6 TDI 4x4 | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI 4x4 | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI 4x4 | 60 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI 4x4 SLX | 63 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI 4x4 | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi RS 2.0 TDI-PD | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi SDI | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi TDI GLX | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Combi TDI SLX | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia RS 2.0 TDI | 50 litres |
| Skoda Octavia RS 2.0 TDI-PD | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI 4x4 | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia SDi LX | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia TDI GLX | 55 litres |
| Skoda Octavia TDi SLX | 55 litres |
Working out which diesel Octavia you drive
Look for the badge on your boot lid, which generally gives the variant, then let us know what it says when you call.
On a diesel Octavia you can find TDI and SDI on the badge.
In our records the most common badge is TDI, and the Octavia SDi LX is badged SDI by contrast.
Engine sizes run from 1.6 litres on the Octavia 1.6 TDI-CR DPF up to 2.0 litres on the Octavia Combi 2.0 TDI.
You can also find 4x4 versions in the list.
AdBlue in a diesel Skoda Octavia by accident
AdBlue is a mixture of water and urea that some diesel cars rely on to clean up their exhaust, and it has a separate tank and filler. If there's AdBlue in a diesel Skoda Octavia because it went in the wrong filler, do not touch your key, even to move your vehicle.
AdBlue settles to the bottom of your tank, where the pump takes its fuel from, as it will not mix with diesel. Being mainly water, it cannot burn and gives the fuel pump no protection, and the diesel in a tank holding up to 63 litres does not weaken it the way it would petrol.
Even a small amount gets sucked into the fuel line. Inside the fuel system the water evaporates and leaves the urea to crystallise, in the filter and injectors among other places, where it corrodes the metalwork it sits against.
Look under your fuel flap if the Octavia has an AdBlue filler, because on a lot of cars it sits right alongside the diesel filler. AdBlue caps are generally blue and take a much narrower nozzle than diesel.
How a fuel drain on your Skoda Octavia works
Every fuel drain on your Skoda Octavia is carried out at the car, so it never needs to go to a garage. We start by checking what was put in and whether your motor has run, then drain your tank, which on the Octavia holds up to 63 litres. Then we rinse your fuel lines and the filter and fill up with clean diesel, and the system is primed before we fire it up.
The Octavia Combi TDI GLX has a tank of 55 litres.
You are free to drive the Octavia away once we have finished, now running on clean diesel.
How we handle AdBlue removal from a diesel Skoda Octavia
AdBlue removal from a diesel Skoda Octavia takes the same stages as draining petrol. We clear crystals out of the lines too when the Octavia has been started, and replace your fuel filter if needed, because AdBlue collects in the base of the tank instead of blending in and can leave them behind.
AdBlue removal here means getting AdBlue out of your diesel tank after it has gone in the wrong filler. It does not mean taking out or switching off the AdBlue system on your vehicle.
What decides the price of a fuel drain on the Skoda Octavia
A set price isn't something we publish, as no two jobs need the same work. It largely comes down to the following:
- starting or driving the Octavia, which makes more difference than anything else
- the capacity of your tank, set against how much went in
- whether it was petrol or AdBlue
- where you are with the Octavia, and whether it's safe to bring our van there
Topping the Octavia Combi 1.9 TDI right up needs 55 litres, as a comparison.
We can let you know what the work will probably need when you ring and give us those details.
Queries on petrol in a diesel Skoda Octavia, answered
Can you tell me the fuel tank capacity of the Skoda Octavia?
It varies with the variant, from 50 to 63 litres, and every one is listed in the table above.
I just put a little petrol in my Octavia. Should I fill up with diesel?
Filling up just lowers the proportion of petrol. None of it is removed, so it's all still there when you drive off, which is why we would not recommend it. The Octavia generally needs no more than a drain when just a small amount was put in, and that gets that petrol out entirely.
Is a trip to the Skoda dealer necessary for my Octavia?
You do not have to. We have no connection with Skoda or any of its dealers, being independent, and your Octavia is drained and cleaned where you have stopped.
Does the version of my Octavia matter?
Yes, it helps. Our figures include 22 diesel versions of the Octavia, so tell us which one you drive when you call.
Will my policy pay for wrong fuel in my Skoda Octavia?
It is worth looking at your policy, as misfuelling cover is part of some and not others. Whatever it says, we come out to drain the car.
What should I do if my Octavia got diesel in its AdBlue tank?
Keep the key out of your ignition in that case as well. If it is driven that way, a vehicle will normally show an alert and go into limp mode. The AdBlue system needs draining too. Which tank the diesel went into is worth mentioning when you ring.
Already driven my Octavia: what do I do?
Turn your motor off once you've pulled over somewhere safe, and leave it off till we arrive. We drain and clean the system wherever you have pulled over, and when it is caught soon like this, lasting harm is very uncommon.